It’s getting to be that time of year again.
A few years back, I purchased a ProFitter 3D Trainer because it would allow me to work on building strength and balance along with my cardiovascular fitness. This is an ideal sport-specific workout that’s perfect for when the weather is too ugly to train outdoors.
For skating, the slide board-like action reinforces the side-directed push that’s key to stroke quality. This directly works the muscles that deliver efficient, powerful strides.
Do you need breathing lessons? This question might sound ridiculous, but if you want to skate long distances efficiently, you must be able to get all the oxygen your hard-working body needs.
Here is how to find out how you currently breathe: sit up straight, place your hands on your stomach below the belt line and take a very deep breath. Did your hands move in toward your spine? If yes, you have just filled only the top portion of your lungs. Your diaphragm stayed tight, blocking the path to a full intake of air. Inline skaters (and all humans) need a rich intake of oxygen with every inhalation.
Eighteen years ago as I was writing the early chapters of my book, Get Rolling, the Beginner’s Guide to Inline Skating, I had already forgotten that it took about 20 hours of practice before I was finally able to skate without feeling like a klutz. Once my tentative, awkward, uncoordinated days were behind me, all I could think of as I wrote my book was:
Wow! Anybody who can walk can skate! I need to tell the world about this!
And that is when I became a certified instructor and began offering skating lessons to demystify the sport for adults.
On a recent gorgeous summer Sunday morning, I decided to see how the northern section of my local favorite skating trail was faring. I hadn’t been there for awhile because I prefer to get my skate workouts on the southern section of the Iron Horse Trail where there are less intersections. The central section’s trees behind the high school tend to drop a lot of leaves and twigs on the trail. (I still have a scar on my knee from that stretch.) Also, loitering teens tend to block the trail right behind the school.
During my weekend skating jaunts on the local multi-use trail in Danville, it tickles me to see families enjoying the outdoors together—getting a little exercise on foot, bikes, scooters, or skates; walking the dog; and just generally sharing quality recreational time. What a great way for parents to share the fun and benefits of playing outdoors as a family! I always hope the kids are building memories that will guide their values as adults, and that they, too, will make it a point to participate often in the great outdoors with friends and family.
I use and recommend Rollerblade brand in-line skates. You should too! I have never had a bad skate from K2.
A video is worth a thousand words: see Skate Skill Videos produced by Mark Davies at SkateInstructor.com
Inline Planet – Timely articles and interviews with skate luminaries, and home of the best social network for skaters, the Inline Planet Skater Network.
Visit the Inline Skating Resource Center to learn all about the who, what, when where and how of inline skating today.
Find just about every skate-related product on the planet at Skates.com, folks I know and trust.
In the past, I have not shared my written opinions about eating for performance because my dietary guidlines are tailored to my own body and my current knowledge about sports nutrition. But because I was asked and answered this question recently for Paul Korankye, (remember the Hidden Stars Skaters Dream Club in Ghana?), I decided to risk a possible blog backlash by posting a simplified version of my personal guidelines here.
Healthy eating, simple and fresh